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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRI M. DE VILLENEUVE, OF PARIS, FRANCE, BY HIS ADMINISTRATOR, WM.OCONNOR, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

PRODUCING A SUBSTITUTE FOR WOOL FROM JU'TE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 6,372, dated April 24,1849.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, WILLIAM OCONNOR, of Jersey City, State of New Jersey,administrator of the goods and chattels, rights, and credits which wereof the late HENRI MENEAU DE VILLENEUVE, a citizen oftherepublicofFrance, residingin the city otParis, do claim the said DE VILLENEUVEto have invented or discovered a new and useful mode of obtaining ormanufacturing from a vegetab e substance not here tot'ore so employed afibrous material, which he denominated Vegetable Wool, (and for which hehad obtained a patent in the republic of France on 23d June, 1840,) andwhich when obtained can he spun, woven, and otherwise applied to a greatvariety of purposes to which animal wool is ordinarily applied,for whichit in most cases becomes a perfect substitute and is with difficultydistinguished therefrom; and he declared the following to be a full andexact description thereof.

He employed that kind of hemp which is known in commerce under the nameof jute or Calcutta hemp, a species of Eastern hem p which hasheretofore been esteemed as the least valuable of the difierent species,its market value rarely eXceedingone-third of thatof other kinds; but hehad ascertained that it is the only kind found in commerce possessingthe qualities necessary to its being manufactured into vegetable wool,this resulting from its peculiar elasticity and the indefinitedivisibility of its fibers, in consequence of which it can be soprepared as to render'it applicable to the manufacturing of the finestmousscline dc Iaine, as well as to the coarser fabrics to which wool isappliedsuch as rugs, carpeting, blankets, 850. in order to reduce thishemp into fine fibers, he adopted the following process: In the firstplace he made the hemp up into twists weighing three or four poundseach, taking care to make said twists as hard as possible. The twistsare then to be forcibly beaten by placing them under beaters like thoseof a fulling-mill, or under stampers, or between rollers, such as areused for various purposes in the arts. Care must be taken that they aresubjected to the act-ionof the heaters with all attainable regularity,as upon this the equality of the fiber is dependent, while its finenessdepends upon the length of time that the operation is continued. Whenthe fibers have attained that fineness which adapts them to the stillretain its native harshness and color; but

of these it will'be deprived by the next operation to which it issubmitted, and without impairing its elasticity or any of its otherdesirable properties. This process is as follows: A bath of chloride oflime is to be prepared, and which should be of a strength marking 7 byBaums hydrometer for salts. Into this the fibers are to be put, and tobe continued,

in it until the color is discharged. After it has been removed, Washed,and dried it is ready to he carded, spun. dyed, woven, and otherwiseused for those purposes to which animal wool, silk, and linen isgenerally applied. Other chlorides may of course he used in thebleaching process, but that of lime is the most economical.

Having thus fully described the nature of said DE VILLENEUVES inventionor discovery, what is claimed therein and desired to be secured byLetters Patent to WILLIAM OCON- NOR, administrator, &c., is

The producingofa material which may be substituted for animal wool bytaking that species of hemp called jute or Calcutta hemp, and reducingit into fine fibers capable of being spun into yarn or thread of variousdegrees of fineness by stamping, combing, and otherwise treating it,substantially in the manner herein set forth.

It is not sought to claim either of. the individ ual processes hereindescribed as of said DE VILLENEUVES invention, but it is sought to claimhim to have. produced, by their combined operation. from a materialhitherto of little value, a fibrous substance of great utility and nothitherto known in the arts.

WM. OCONNOR, l Administrator to estate, of late Henri Mcrzeau DeVillcnczwc.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH STUNZ, JOHN LAMB.

